


Just the Two of Us

by UncleNansi



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: A family is a tiny contemporary artist and the entire NHL sometimes, F/M, Jack is Best Uncle I don't make the Rules, Pregnancy, Single Mom Lardo, This is really based on my mom's experience of having me tbh, Trans Character, Will add tags as they come up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-21 00:45:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16566353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UncleNansi/pseuds/UncleNansi
Summary: That quickie in the club bathroom is probably her biggest fuck up ever.But the large Baja Blast sloshing around in her stomach is quickly becoming a close second.





	Just the Two of Us

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there, this is a fic very near and dear to my heart as a person who was raised by my single mother until she married when I was younger. The title comes from Will Smith's song, which was something we listened to a lot when I was a child; and was one of the many songs we used to call ours. (Until my Dad and Brother came along lol.)
> 
> I'm still working on See You Again (the ghost kent fic) as my main priority but I wanted to post this in order to make myself work on it more as well. Thank you!
> 
> Please let me know if you have any concerns regarding triggers and the like. I know pregnancy and absent parents and the like can really affect people so please just ask me here on on my tumblr: r0wdie.tumblr.com

Lardo figures her hangover is just extraordinarily bad, her and Ransom and Holster had been drinking for a solid day and half. But puking her guts out a week later clues her in to a much longer affliction. Something more like a parasite really.

“Lards, you need anything…?” Ransom murmurs from the other side of the bathroom door.

She wants to snap at him to get him off of her back. He and Holster have been… nice; getting her soup, and cold medicine, and any snacks she wants. But they’ve also been hovering and checking her temperature. Holster keeps calling his freaking mother and poking and prodding at her for christ’s sake.

“I’m fine,” she grits out. Even though her eyes are stinging, there’s a heavy pit of anxiety inside her stomach, and her hands shake as she holds the ugly fucking pink stick in her hands.

“Well, if you’re sure—”

“Ransom, just leave me alone for a fucking second. God!” She can hear herself screaming at him, and knows she’ll have to apologize later. But right now she’s more worried about the fucking double line showing up on her First Response.

“Fuck,” she whimpers. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

She gives up on trying not to cry; dropping the pregnancy stick in the sink and pulling her shirt collar up around her face before letting herself sob.

\\_ .

The thing with Shitty ended amicably, and they can’t stress that to their friends enough. Shitty’s got all these feelings about his sexuality and identity going on, and Lardo isn’t even sure she’s jazzed about relationships like… at all. So they decide best friends is the best option and everyone acts like the world is ending.

Bitty sends them both pies. (Lardo will go through a million break ups if it means more peach raspberry pie.) Jack actually calls her, which is the most awkward phone call of her life. And Ransom and Holster, in their infinite wisdom, take her out drinking.

“Bruh, like, Shitty is a great dude. But you’re great too. And you two are going to do so well apart,” Holster slurs.

Lardo takes a long swig of her beer, “I know. That’s why we ended things.”

Holster lays his head on her shoulder, “Are you sad? It’s okay to be sad.”

“I’m not…”

“Bro!” Ransom nearly falls onto the table. “Check the light-skinned brother in the black-and-white, artsy, button-up.”

Lardo glances up. The man is… definitely attractive. And definitely watching them with an interested eye.

“Bro, he’s gorgeous.”

“Magnificent.”

“Goals.”

“I was ordering this vodka cranberry—” Ransom raises his drink “—and, bros? He’s got an accent.”

“Hot,” Holster nods along.

Lardo rolls her eyes, “Are y’all serious right now?”

“Y’all,” Ransom snickers.

“Y’all,” Holster repeats.

“Christ on a cracker, if you think he’s so attractive than you go talk to him Ransom.”

Ransom shakes his head, “Sadly, I’m mostly straight.”

“Mostly.”

Ransom rolls his eyes, and leans in to whisper in her ear. “Lardo, tonight is about your rebound. Okay? So go ask that man where he’s from and buy him a drink.”

“What’s he drinking?” Lardo asks.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Holster groans. “Go over there and taaaalk to himmmmmm.”

“Well, if I’m going to buy a stranger a drink I don’t want it to be, like, a $20 manhattan,” she explains. They both scoff at her, obviously growing desperate.

She figures she better humor them for taking her out.

“Alright, I’ll go. Be back in a bit.” She downs the last of her beer, and hops out of the bar booth. She can still hear Ransom and Holster cheering once she slips past the crowd to get to the man.

“What are you drinking?” she asks. He was waiting for her, smirking.

“Whiskey sour.”

He does have an accent, from somewhere in Europe.

“Two more whiskey sours, please,” she asks the bartender.

Then Lardo smiles up at him, “A whiskey sour it is.”

 . _/ \\_ .

That quickie in the club bathroom is probably her biggest fuck up ever.

But the large Baja Blast sloshing around in her stomach is quickly becoming a close second.

She’s speeding towards Providence in Ransom’s car. Which he let her take without question. And she’s got nothing but a few changes of clothes, her toiletry go bag, her laptop and chargers, and the fucking pee stick in a plastic baggie at the bottom of her backpack. Her phone is blowing up, but she threw that in the backseat while in the Taco Bell drive-thru. And she has to pee too bad to care about who’s texting her.

She peels into the guest parking at Jack and Bitty’s apartment, and leaves everything in her car to run inside and into the bathroom in the lobby.

She knows it’s the excessive amount of sugar and ice and water, but it feels like grim foreshadowing for when a tiny little foot or hand will be pressing on her bladder. If she even keeps the thing. Fuck.

Lardo tears up on the toilet. Again. She’s not sure she’s going to be able to handle the moodiness either.

She can’t cry here though. She’s so close to seeing Bitty and being able to tell him everything and ask for help and it will all be fine. She splashes water on her face and takes a deep breath before going outside.

Bitty is peering into her car when she gets outside.

“Lardo! There you are!” He fixes her with a glare, “I have been calling you for the past 20 minutes!”

“Don’t talk and drive, Bitty. Come on.”

“Excuse me, but the text: omw in rans car see u soon. I think warrants a call from one of your best friends.” He gathers her up in a hug despite his apparent frustration. “You just worried me, s’all.”

She squeezes him tight back, “I’m sorry. Ransom and Holster were driving me nuts.”

He carries her bag inside, and she chirps him about being such a ‘nice young man’ and he flicks her off. And she doesn’t even think about the fetus inside of her until they get upstairs and he offers her some sangria.

“I know its early in the day, but its’ summer and you’re here so—”

“I can’t,” Lardo says. Her stomach twists up. “I can’t drink right now.”

Bitty has a half full glass of sangria already, but he stops filling his glass and slips it into the fridge. “Ok! That’s fine. Do you want some lemonade? Or some sweet tea?”

“You know I love your lemonade but I had a giant Baja Blast in about, two seconds flat on the way here so some water will do me good.”

“You know, I’ll have some water too.”

“You’ve already been drinking haven’t you.” Lardo chuckles.

Bitty gives her an incredulous look, “It just tastes so damn good!”

He gets them both water, and Lardo offers up the Crunch Wrap Supreme she got him. He rambles for a little bit, about Jack and the Falcs and how he’s absolutely hating post-college life. She eats, and between the food and the syrupy tones of Bitty’s drawl the knot in her stomach gradually untwists and disappears.

“I have some news, actually,” Lardo says after finishing her last taco. “I’m pregnant.”

Bitty chokes on his water, dousing himself in it. He’s obviously trying to say something, but only manages to cough for a few minutes.

“Oh,” Lardo says, “Well.”

“You’re pregnant!” Bitty cries. Eyes wide, mouth agape, and shirt soaked.

Lardo nods.

“Holy shit. Well… we gotta… I gotta…” he stands up, looking around for something, “Wait. No. It’ll be okay, first of all.” He hurries over to where she sits on the other side of the kitchen island and wraps her in another hug. “It’ll be a-okay. You got this. Whatever you decide to do.”

“Well, thanks Bits. I’m… not sure what I’m going to do. I… I just found out. Today.”

Bitty pulls back, ”Oh my stars, am I the first to know?!”

Lardo nods.

“Oh, sweetie. And you let me ramble on for that long? What the fuck is wrong with you?!” He pulls her in again.

She laughs at him, holding him tight back. “It was nice, Bits.”

He pulls away again. “And I really mean it. This is going to be ok. Whatever you choose. Alright?”

Lardo nods, “I know. It’s just, sinking in, still.” It’s still surreal to her, to think that this happened to her.

She knew Bitty would react like this. Overflowing with support and love. It was the next part she was scared about telling him.

“I… think I wanna keep it.”

. _/

Jack is pretty sure he was asleep before he even got in bed last night, coming home late from a weekend running a last minute kids camp in Montreal before pre-season starts up for real. He stripped and climbed in without even bothering to rouse Bitty enough to let him know he was home.

His alarm wakes him at an ungodly hour, and he quickly snoozes it, then rolls over towards Bitty and swings an arm over him nuzzling his nose into the short hair on his nape.

For some reason Bitty smells faintly of rose and jasmine, instead of the sandalwood soap he uses. Jack tightens his arm in thought, feeling a very squishy chest under his bicep.

Jack jerks up, pulling his hand away.

Lardo blearily blinks at him.

“It’s just a boob man chill, let’s cuddle.”

Jack sees now that Bitty and Lardo are both in his bed, Bitty still drooling and sleeping on the far side of the mattress.

“I thought you were Bitty,” Jack flops back down. This time, reaching all the way to Bitty and pulling them both close to him. Effectively making a Lardo sandwich.

Lardo smacks her lips, “Also, next time you want to feel me up you can just ask, bro.”

“You wish.”

“Ugh, Zimmermann. Fuck boy much?”

He reaches to tickle the back of her thigh, she kicks him in the shin.

“Ow!” he hisses. She keeps kicking him, pushing him out of his own bed and onto the floor.

“Rude,” he deadpans.

“You’re the one feeling up random people.”

“You are in my bed.”

“I think you owe me breakfast.”

“In my home.”

“French toast.”

“Cuddling my boyfriend.”

“And eggs. And sausage.”

Jack gets up with a huff, “Well, before I do all that I gotta piss so just slow your roll there, eh Duan?”

Somehow through all that Bitty is still sleeping like a rock.

 \\_ .

Jack and Bitty have probably the best shower ever, and she focuses on that instead of the fact that her best friends have definitely fucked in here.

The water cascades from the ceiling and the tiles in and around the shower are heated. Truthfully, she still fills sick as a dog, but the warm water is helping her nausea and calming her down.

Bitty had seemed shocked after she told him she wasn’t sure he wanted an abortion. That she had thought about it right away and just, didn’t think that’s what she wanted. He just gave her a big hug and told her he meant it when he said he supported her no matter what.

“Let me tell Jack, okay? Is it okay if I ask that?”

Bitty nodded, “Yeah of course. It’s your… news to tell.”

“Yeah but you guys are like, dating.”

Bitty laughs, “We may be, like, dating, but I think keeping your secret is allowed.”

She shuts the water off. She should have had Bitty tell Jack.

Now, she has to swallow down vomit and go into the kitchen. It’s not like Jack is going to call her a whore or anything, she knows better than that.

She’s worried he doesn’t say anything. Lardo knows Jack is soft for kids but… who knows about pregnant best friends. Lardo knows Bitty isn’t up his ass with toxic masculinity as much as the other guys, and and would have the best reaction of them. But Jack? Ransom and Holster? The Frogs? All of them have the potential to be total dicks about the whole thing. Intentional or not.

She doesn’t even want to think about telling Shitty.

It’s likely Bitty was blessed by some god or angel when it comes to cooking or baking. But Jack whips up a mean breakfast. Lardo doesn’t even feel sick when she enters the kitchen to see him adding the finishing touches to the giant pile of food on the dining table. French toast, eggs, sausage, like she requested, as well as the chopped up peaches and strawberries he’s putting in a bowl on the table as she enters.

“Did you and Bitty get drunk last night?”

“Uh, no,” Lardo says.

Jack smirks, “He should be up soon then. Let’s start anyways.”

They sit and start eating in silence. Jack made them Irish Breakfast tea as well, and Lardo sips it quietly.

“How’s work going?” Jack asks after inhaling a mess of eggs, “Do you like it?”

“It’s work,” Lardo says, her job at the museum is actually really great. Working in the archives and with the exhibit design really made that art history minor worth it. Not to mention the people are great and diverse. But she’s not up for talking about that right now. Jack doesn’t push, just patiently waits for her to start talking.

With a wave of fresh nausea Lardo suddenly gets the thought that Jack’s going to be disappointed with her. That maybe he will think she’s a slut for getting pregnant from a stranger in a bathroom. That she isn’t fit to be a parent and is dumb for even considering keeping it.

She bursts into sobs and brings her arms up to hug herself.

“Lardo? What’s wrong?” Jack leans in, but doesn’t touch her or get to close. “Hey, it’ll be okay. I promise.”

“You don’t even know what’s wrong,” she blubbers.

His lips turn up in a reassuring smile, “Then tell me.”

“R-Ransom a-and Holster took me out…”

“Yeah.”

“And we got p-pretty drunk and—Fuck,” she swears. “I’m such a fucking idiot!”

“Hey, now.” Jack slides his big hand closer to her on the table, and she takes it and holds on to it. “Just breathe. What happened?”

Lardo bawls in response.

“Larissa,--” God, her first name he’s probably pissed. “You have to tell me what’s wrong you’re scaring me.” He starts to ramble as she catches her breath, “I make enough now to have someone killed. Or if we need to cover up a murder that can happen too. I’ll make it go away. It’s not worse than murder is it?”

“No one is dead, Jack,“ she says. “I’m pregnant.”

Jack’s eyes nearly pop out of his head, “W-With…. Ransom? Or Holster?”

She stares at him, tears still streaming down her face.

“Do you not know which one?” he whispers.

“Oh my God. Did you hear me?!” she hits him on the shoulder, “I’m fucking pregnant!”

  
Jack’s got the most unreadable expression on his face. He stares are her and she can hear the gears grinding in his head. Lardo clings to his hand, sniffling. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he is going to be a dick about it.

Jack finally finds his words. “Do you… need some money?”

She shrugs, she gets what he’s saying but she knows she doesn’t want that.

“Are you going to tell the dad?”

“I don’t even have his name,” she whines.

Jack sighs, “Can I hug you?”

“Please.”

He pulls her into his chest, squeezing her tight. “This’ll all be ok.”

She rests her head on his chest and closes her eyes, “Are you mad?”

Jack snorts, “No? Why would I be? And what right would I have?”

“You seemed mad.”

“Well, that was when I thought you were going to have Holster’s spawn, so forgive me if I was a little shocked.”

Lardo laughs so hard she snorts.

“Come on, eat. Your food is getting cold.”

She feels better tucking in now, even though everything is fucked. But at least Jack knows and she’s got two people in her corner.

Bitty sneaks out after a minute. “Are y’all—” he makes a weird motion with his hands, “—cool?”

“I had a less than ideal response but we figured it out.”

Bitty shoots Jack a look. He rolls his eyes, “She led with: Ransom, Holster, Drunk.”

“Valid,” Lardo says.

“Oh, Lord. Don’t want to think about that.” Bitty finds a coffee made to his liking already waiting for him in his favorite ceramic travel mug. “Although,” he says after a sip, “you and Ransom would make some beautiful babies.”

Jack chokes on his food. Lardo snorts. “I think this baby is gonna be pretty cute without him thank you very much… but you’re right.”

“So you are keeping it?” Jack goes back to eating like it didn’t just try to kill him.

Lardo takes a deep breath. “I don’t think I want an abortion. I just… I don’t know.”

Jack nods, “We gotta get you pregnancy ready then.”

“Ugh, alright Captain. It’s a baby not a play-off run,” she takes another drink of her tea.

Jack watches, “You gotta cut out caffeine.”

She glares at him. He just smirks back.

 . _/

Lardo only looks at her phone after they’ve finished breakfast and are sprawled in the living room watching Property Brothers. Lardo and Bitty are curled into Jack’s sides, stealing the crazy amounts of heat he gives off. (Lardo has a hunch that Bitty keeps the apartment so cool as an excuse to cuddle.)

32 Messages

“Oh, Christ,” she groans, “Ransom and Holster are freaking out.”

“I texted them last night,” Bitty says, “You scared them.”

“They’ve been all over my ass for the past week!”

Bitty picks up his own phone, “They can be a bit much, I know. But they love you, they at least need to know you’re safe.”

Lardo skims the messages. Starting off confused and quickly growing worried and frantic, until Bitty must have texted them and they knew she was safe in Providence. She sends them an apology, and promises they’ll have a roommates huddle once she gets home. Her stomach knots up again at the thought of telling them.

Jack gives her a little squeeze, “It’s gonna be okay.”

“You don’t know that.”

With a huff he puts her into a full headlock and pulls her close. She yelps in protest, and fish hooks a finger in his mouth.

Jack pulls his face free from Lardo’s deadly finger, “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

“Fine, fine. You promise.”

He lets her go, giggling. She punches him on the arm hard enough to make him wince.

“Honestly, you two,” Bitty chirps, “Children.”

\\_ . 

Lardo gets back around eight, and the summer sun still only teasing the horizon. Holster and Ransom greet her by running to the car like a pair of farm dogs are something.

“Dude!” Holster exclaims, “You can’t run off when you’re puking. That’s not cool.”

She really wants to be annoyed; but she reminds herself that he’s worried and snapping back won’t help.

“I’m sorry, Holster. But please save the lecture, alright?” She shoves her bag into his arms. “I’ll treat you guys to ice cream if that’ll make you feel better.”

They walk down the block to the bodega; Holster and Ransom staying silent as Lardo picks out instant mashed potatoes, bags of candy, and four 23-ounce cans of peach tea before Ransom ushers her to pay with his own ice cream pints for all three of them.

He pays for all of it, even though Lardo offered too. She’s too busy trying not to cry to protest.

They sit at a bus stop, eating their treats. Chocolate gelato for Holster, raspberry sherbet for Ransom, and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream for Lardo. She lets a few tears fall down her face as she scarfs the ice cream down, pretending that Ransom and Holster can’t see. They don’t push, just press close to her and let her take her time.

She drops her spoon in the empty ice cream cup and sighs. “I’m pregnant.”

Holster stills. But Ransom nods.

“Sorta figured.”

Holster still isn’t moving. “I’m keeping it,” Lardo adds. “Which I know fucks up the living situation, and our future plans and—”

“Woah,” Holster finally says, “We can baby-proof the apartment, no problem.”

“Yeah dude, plus—" Ransom winks, “—I’m an excellent babysitter.”

Lardo frowns at them. “You gotta deal with me being huge and pregnant. Plus once the baby comes there will be diapers, and puke, and bottles, and crying at night.”

“We’ll take turns,” Holster says, “That way it won’t be so bad getting up at night.”

“You two are ridiculous and have no idea what you’re getting in to.”

Ransom shrugs, Holster makes a small noise of agreement.

“But that makes three of us, I guess,” she says.

**Author's Note:**

> This is literally, exactly, the reaction that my mother had when she peed on the stick btw
> 
> r0wdie.tumblr.com


End file.
